Stranger's Face
by PicturePerfect21
Summary: Zuko is a young boy who would rather ditch class to hang out with his Uncle rather than go to school and deal with his father afterwards. New girl Katara gets into fatal car accident after her first day. She sees a stranger's face come to her window to save her. Modern Day Zutara!
1. Chapter 1

**Here it goes. Stranger's Face. Was written on my original profile, so i made it a little better.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

I could only hear the buzzing of our Science teacher about how protons and electrons on found in an atom. It was an annoying buzzing, and quite frankly I wanted to tear my hair out. I just sat there. I smacked my head down on my book, sitting in front of me, on my desk. "Mr. Agni!"The annoying buzzing yells from the front of the classroom.

"Yeah?" I said, not lifting my head from the books.

"If you find my teaching so boring, maybe you would enjoy getting to sleep in the principal's office."

"Well sure!" I get up, grab my books and walk out of the room. I was not going to the office just yet. I went to my locker, dialed in my combination and stuffed my books in my bag. I took my bag out of my locker and slung it over my shoulder.

 _Alright Zuko, Now I think that you have had your fun._ I start heading down the hallway to the office. I walk in and all eyes turn to me. I sit down in my chair that I have assigned to myself, sitting my bag next to me. "Can I help you with something, Zuko?" The lady behind the desk asks me.

"Mrs. Findo sent me up here."

"Okay, you know the drill: sit there and wait for him to be finished." Sad to say that she's right, I did know the drill, and I've been up here more than I can count. I just sat there and waited for Mr. Singh to be finished with his meeting. I laid my head back against the wall and begin to fall back asleep. Falling asleep became a normal routine for me in school. "Agni, get up!" I heard Singh yell at me across the way.

I lifted my head up and look at him. "What?"

He pointed to inside his office. I got up, grabbing my bag and heading to his office. "What'd you do now?"

"Mrs. Findo got pissed at me and told me to come up here."

"You had to have done something to make her mad."

"I was asleep."

"Why would you sleep in class?"

"Well have you heard her teach?"

"Watch your tongue." He warns me.

"Sorry." I put my head down and touched my scar on the left side of my face. My father had given me this scar when I was just eight years old. He gave me a choice, me or my mother. He said I wasn't good enough to be his son. I wasn't good enough to be in the sight of him. HIs power is much stronger than mine would ever be. I wanted to show him of the man I could be. He said I wasn't a man. I wasn't man enough. He burned me. He showed me what a real man was suppose to be like.

Him.

Mr. Singh allowed me stay up in his office for the rest of class and the rest of the day turned out just pure torturous. I try my best to stay awake, knowing it almost impossible. Mr. Singh had told me if I get sent up here one more time, he'll call my dad. I couldn't allow it to get that far. I _need_ to stay awake. The day is just pure boredom, until seventh period. It was then that I saw beauty. She must have been new because I have never seen her around school.

"Class, I would like to introduce to you our new student, Katara Mizu. She comes to us from all the way from Hawaii." Our teacher, Mr. Kiro, says to all of us. I just sit there and stare at her beauty. Her mocha colored skin, her deep, rich, baby-blue eyes, her wavy, brown hair coming down to her shoulder blades. She's nothing but beautiful. She finally looks at me and smiles. I smile back. It's strange, I have only been in love once, but then again, she cheated on me with some dumb ass jock, that turns out to be my best friend. "Katara, if you would please take a sit next to Zuko in the back, we can go on with our lesson."

I know for a fact that she doesn't know who "Zuko" is, so I flip up my hand. She smiles again and walks swiftly to the back row to the classroom to the seat next to me. I gave her a crooked smile. She smiled back and looked towards the front of the class. I got back to my laptop and started playing a game. It seemed to be the only thing that can help me through the day.

I played for the rest of class, until I got interrupted by , standing over me. "Would you like to listen to me, or should I let you keep playing around in my class?"

"I would really like to keep playing, if you don't mind." I said, putting my earbuds back in.

"Oh, but I do mind." He said, yanking them out my ears. Ouch. "Get out of my classroom." He said, pointing to the door.

"I'm sorry? I really don't know what to say."

"Just get out." I shrugged, closing my laptop and grabbing my bag, as I head out the door. I did not want my dad finding out about this. And I really didn't need Mr. Singh yelling at me again, so I ducked as I passed the office window, praying to the gods that they didn't see me. We do have cameras, but they only really check them if someone brought a gun into the school. After I got out of eyeshot of the office, I ran for the parking lot.

I reached my car in the freezing cold, unlocked it and got inside. The 2008 Dodge Challenger lit up the white parking lot. I revved up the engine and turned on the heat. I rubbed my hands together, letting the fire run through my fingers, trying to heat myself up. Putting the car in drive, I pulled out of the parking lot. I turned down past the middle school, the elementary school, and all the houses of Ba-Sing-Se. I finally make it to my uncle's tea shop on the other end of town.

I get out and go up to the back door. "Uncle!" I call, coming into the kitchen. "Uncle, I'm here!" I call again. I start looking around, finding him in the back of the shop in the storage room.

"Oh, Zuko! Why aren't you at school?"

"I got in trouble."

"Zuko my boy, I have told you time and time again to behave in school. Those wonderful people are trying to give you a future and you won't take it. What's your father going to say?" He asks, handing me a box full of herbs.

"I don't know. I don't want him to know." I was most embarrassed to come clean to my Uncle. He had given me so much advice and was the only parent figure I ever knew after my mother disappeared.

"Zuko, I need you to start listening in class and stay out of trouble. Make a promise to me."

I nod. "I'll try." I can't bear to disappoint him any longer than I must. "Sorry, I know I must disappoint you."

"You do, but I know that you can be better than that. I believe in you." He hands me a apron. I put it over my head and tie it in the back. I get up and go to the front to attend to our customers. I grab a tea kettle off of the stove and start refilling their cups and handing them another tea bag. After a few minutes I glance up at the clock on the wall: 10 after 3. Schools out.

"Uncle, I got to get home before Azula and dad find out I'm not there!" I call, throwing the apron in the chair I was sitting in and head out the door. I get into my car and speed off down towards my house.

 **Well, Tell me what you thought. I will try to have my chapters done ahead of time. So thanks everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here's the second chapter! I hope you like it! Thanks for the reviews, but I need more! Thanks you guys for keeping me going!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender!**

I put my car into overdrive as I stomp it to the ground, speeding off down towards my house. Out of the corner of my eye I take a quick glance over the side of the road when my eye caught a glance of a car, off in the distance, flipped over and smoking; Rocking back and forth and on its top. My car nearly flipped over in the process of try to stop. I had no time to waste, I had to hurry. After a moment, I realize that I'm just sitting there. I jump out of the car, racing off as fast as I could towards the flipped over car. I remember the emergency kit I had in the trunk of my car; I turn around and grab it from the truck and then run back to the flipped car. Inside the kit was a crowbar, a knife, some gauze, Band-Aids, a flashlight with extra battery, a spare cell phone, and some rubbing alcohol.

When I reach the car window, I see blood and a brown haired girl hanging upside down with her legs pinned under the dash board. Then I realize who this brown haired girl is. It's the girl seventh period, the new girl. Katara! Her windows are rolled up. I stand back with the crowbar, getting ready to smash the window, when her eyes flutter open.

Her face turns into panic when she sees where's she's at. "I need you to stay still! I'm going to get you out of here!" I call, though the closed window. I see her nod. "I need you to shield your face! I'm going to try to break the window! Okay?" She nods once more. I pull my arms back and strike the window with the end of the crowbar.

The window smashes with a loud shatter. "Help me! My legs are smashed." She cries.

"I know. I'm going to get you out. I promise." I look around for something to help her out. I think for a split second for a way to get her legs out; The end of the crowbar! I jam it in between the dashboard and floor board, pressing all my body weight down on the end of the bar, pulling the metal and the fiberglass of the dash apart. Her legs, covered in blood and scraped up, her skin pulling apart. "Did your airbag deploy?" The blood is rushing to her head too fast.

She shakes her head. I pull the flashlight out of the tool case and shine it through the hole where her feet still are stuck. I see blood dripping from her ankles. I knew this couldn't be good. I reach my hand inside to her feet, trying to maneuver them out. I grab the cell phone and dial 911. I try to stay calm while on the phone. I tell them my name and location and where I'm at. I pull her feet out with my hands, carefully I unbuckle her seatbelt and pull her down, making sure that she was not stuck anywhere else. I pull lightly on her arms, she responses with a scream. I get her down and set her on the ground next to me so I can tend to her.

I pull my jacket off and sling it around her shoulders. She smiles at me with a gratefulness grin. I give her my crooked smile and tend to her legs."My legs! Their burning!" She cries. I pull out the gauze and rip it apart and wrap the piece around her cuts.

"Okay, Okay." I say, trying to keep my cool. This girl has taken enough pain and I won't let her take any more. Her eyes slowly start to close. "Katara! No!" I say, patting her cheek. "Stay with me! The ambulance is on its way! I need you to stay with me!" I hear the sirens from the ambulance about a mile or so down the road.

Her eyes open then close again.

"Don't you dare die on me! Keep your eyes open, stay with me." I hear the ambulance's sirens in the distance. "Stay with me, Katara." I see the red and blue lights come towards me. "Stay with me."

The ambulance pulls up behind my car and two men race out and around to the back. A woman comes out of the back with the gurney. They run over towards us. "I'll meet you at the hospital." I whisper in her, knowing she probably couldn't hear me.

"What Happened?" One of them asks me.

"Her car slid on some ice on the road and she flipped. Her legs got pinned." I told them. We all three left her up onto it and into the ambulance. I get up into the ambulance with them, forgetting all about my car. They shock her with a defibrillator, hoping to get a pulse. "Stay clear!" One says, pushing me back away.

I cringe as I see her body left up from the shock. I close my eyes and pray that she makes it. I know I don't know here that well, but I still need her to make it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing it was my fault. "I got a pulse!" The other one calls. I stand there, with my heart missing every other beat, and watch them, as they work. They get her into the ambulance and shut the door.

I run to my car, rev up the engine, and speed off behind them. My thought wonder as I drive; Will she make it? What if she doesn't? I won't be able to live with myself. We aren't too far from the hospital, which makes me feel very thankful. They pull into the ambulance entrance, I find a parking spot not too far away. I jump out, and run for the door, meeting them inside.

"Katara!" I yell as I get cut off by two doctors holding me back as she gets pulled into another room. "You have to help her!" I yell.

"Sir, please just sit down and be patience." He leads me to a chair. "We will do the best that we can." He says. How can they do this to me? How? I was fuming. Felt like I was going to start blowing smoke from my ears. I know that she's in good hands, so I try to calm myself with a mountain dew from the nearest machine. I

"Where is she!? Where's my daughter?!" A man, that has a skin tone close to Katara's mocha skin and blue eyes, comes rushing in, yelling at all the nurses.

"Dad, Settle down. She's probable perfectly fine." A younger version of the man, says, trying to settle his nerves, comes in behind him.

"Sir, Are you Katara Mizu's father?" I ask, getting up. This man sure does have a right to know what is going on with Katara if he is her father.

"Depends who's asking." He says, getting up in my face. I try not to feel intimidated as he gets eye to eye, nose to nose with me.

I back up a step. "My name is Zuko Agni, and your daughter was in a car accident. I found her and I brought her here.I know you don't know who I am and I understand what you are getting at for being a father. She is in good hands here." I say, bowing my head.

"Thank you. For bring my sister here." The boy says, holding at his hand for me to shake. "I'm is my father, Hakoda, We just moved here from Hawaii." I shake it with an unstable grip.

"I actually met Katara in my 7th period today." I tell him as we all take a seat. After about an hour and a half of waiting, the doctor comes out.

"Mr. Mizu?" We stand up as the doctor approaches us. "Katara is in a stable condition, but she will need time to heal up. You can see her if you'd like." We followed him to the elevator and down the hall to the room that Katara was in.

"Dad! Sokka!" Katara's face filled up with excitement to see the two of them. I walked in behind them. Her eyes met mine. "You're the man who saved me."

I bow my head and walk over to the side of the bed behind Sokka. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you. For saving me. I probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. I owe you my life." She said, bowing her head.

"You being alive is all the thanks I need." I tell her.

She blushes and looks at her father. "When can I come home?"

"I don't know sweetie. I will find out." Hakoda walks over and takes her hand.

"Dad, I am so sorry about the car. I didn't mean to. There was ice all over the road and I couldn't control it." She had tears rolling down her eyes as she told her father how sorry she was.

"Katara, please, it's okay. I am just happy that you are alive and well. This young man saved me a lot of heartbreak. The car can be replaced. You cannot." He kissed her forehead and wiped her tears away. It made me miss my mother. "We need to get the stuff out of the car anyways."

"I'll go get it dad. Where is it?"

"I can show you." I stand from the chair I was sitting in. "If you'd like." I add.

"That'd be great." He nods his head.

"Wait," Katara says as I put my jacket back on. "Will I see you again?"

"I almost guarantee you will. I'll see you tomorrow at the latest." I promise her."I gotta make sure you are still okay, anyways." I wink, hoping her father did not see that. Sokka and I walk down the hallway and into the elevator.

 **Well, Tell me what you thought! I need reviews to keep me going! I really do appreciate the people who have written to me and told me about the first chapter. So I need more. I know you guys are reading it. So I need to know what you thought! Thanks guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here you guys go. Hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

Sokka and I walked out of the hospital into the freezing cold temperatures. I took my hands out of my pockets and let the fire flow from my palms, warming me up so little bit. We got to my car, I unlocked it and we both climbed in. "Sweet ride, man."

"Thanks, It gets me me from A to B." I say, putting it into reverse and pulling out of the parking spot. "So, Why would you guys want to move over here Sing Sa seems like a overrated place, if you ask me."

"Well our dad got a new job over here, working at Red Dragon Enterprise. He said it would help our family out with we move somewhere else and get an actual life. Katara didn't want to leave. She loves the water. She would be down at the ocean every morning swimming with the dolphins. But since we got the news that we were moving, she had to get used to the fact. We lived over here once when we were little with my mother and then we she passed, my dad thought it would be best for us if we moved somewhere different."

"What happened to your mother, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked.

"She was heading home from work one night and she got hit by a drunk driver on the wrong side of the highway." My heart felt for them. "Katara took it the hardest. Her and my mother were close. Best friends even."

"I know how you feel. My mother disappeared when I was 8."

"That's terrible, man. I'm sorry."

"It's okay now. I know she probably in a better place rather than this hell hole."

"Yeah, that's what I had to tell Katara when she would wake up crying for my mom."

"I'm happy that your father seems like a good man with a good family."

"He sure is." He looked out the window as we pulled up to the accident site. "Damn, she sure did, crumple that poor car, didn't she?"

"You should have seen it earlier before. I'm glad we got here before the police showed up with the tow truck." I said, throwing it in park and getting out. We walked over to the crumpled little Honda. "What all should we get out of here?"

"Her cd's mostly. There should be her school bag somewhere with her books. I would just start grabbing stuff."

Sounds reasonable. I walk over the the driver's side and hit the button for the trunk. The trunk opens with a pop and stuff falls out onto the ground. I assume it was her bookbag. I see her stuff laying on the ground, picking it up, I taking it to my car and putting it in the back seat. Sokka grabs her cds and a couple of pictures up by the visor. Looking around, we try to find some other things that she might want. Finding all I could get, we both get in the car and say goodbye to the ol Honda. "She puts others in front of her needs. She has more willpower in her one finger than I do in my whole entire body." Sokka looked over at me. "I want her to be happy. She has been through so much heartbreak; from our mother to the sick low-life pieces of shit that she has been with."

I felt what she was wanting. What she had been with. My mother left me with no goodbye.

It didn't take us too long to get back to the hospital. "You coming back up?" Sokka asked as we pulled up.

I looked at the time. **7:05 PM** _Shit._ "No, I gotta get home actually. I figure she will be here overnight for observation. So, I'll be back in the morning. If anything changes message me or something on facebook."

"Yeah, will do." He says, closing the door. He holds up his finger; I roll down the window, "Oh, Zuko. Thanks man. My little sister might not be alive, if it weren't for you. I owe you everything."

"It was no big deal. I'm just glad I got to her in time." I say. "See ya, Sokka."

He waves and walks back inside. I sat there for a few seconds, thinking about how dead I'll be in about half an hour. I put it into drive and head home. It won't be too bad. Father will be too busy to even notice I've been gone.

When I arrive home, I pull up in my parking spot, which isn't even classified as one. Just the spot of grass my father allowed me to pull my very expensive car, next to the our three car garage, where my sister, Azula and my father park their three vehicles. Azula's bright red, chevy corvette stingray, My father's Audi R8, and his Corvette. And mine, I paid for mine all in full. My uncle helped me save the money up..

I locked my car, walked to get my backpack, and walked through the cold snow into my house. The house was silent. My father was probably in his office taking care of the stuff he claimed that was very important. And for my sister, well, that was very suspicious.I didn't call anyone's name out, knowing I wouldn't get an answer, so I took my backpack, slung it back over my shoulders and walked up to my room.

I locked it behind me and sat on the edge of my bed. I thought about a lot of things. But there was one thing I couldn't get off my mind. Katara. There was something very different about her. It wasn't the fact that she was smart and very pretty. It wasn't her blue eyes that shine brighter than the ocean at night. No, it was her desire to put others in front of her. Her willpower for everything. I pushed played on my stereo and laid back on my bed.

I closed my eyes and her face was the only thing that I saw. Katara.

 **Oka, you guys. Well, I know that wasn't that long. But there's more coming. Please tell me what you thought!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

I fell asleep pretty quickly. I heard a scream come down the hall. I jumped out of bed and ran down towards the scream. It was coming from my father's study. I tried opening it, but it was bolted shut. I banged on it trying to get someone's attention. "Father! Is everything okay?" I yelled.

No answer. "Zuko!" That was Katara's voice. "Zuko save me!" My heart dropped. Why would she be in there?

"Katara! I'm coming!" I stepped back and took a deep breath. I put my hands together and let the fire get to my fingertips. I threw my hands at the door, flames coming out my my palms like water flowing down a stream. The fire hit the door with sizzle. I kicked the door down, and let it fall to the floor with a bang. I ran in after her. I looked around, but no sight of her. "Katara!"

"Zuko, my son. I'm glad you decided to join us." My father came out from the darken area.

"Where is she?!" The flames came out as I looked at my father with pure rage.

"Zuko! Please! Save me!" The lights turned on above her, I could see the pure terror on her face. She was chained up to where she couldn't move. I ran after her, a pair of arms held me back.

"Ahh, ahh. No, no. You don't get to touch her." My father said, stepping in front of me.

"Don't you lay a finger on her!" I screamed, trying to get away from the guard.

"How about we play a game, Zuko? We can play fire with fire." He walks very slowly over to her, puts his hands on her shoulder.

She screams out in pain. I shoot up in my bed. I'm covered in sweat; my sheet is wet, my hair is soaked. I sit on the side of my bed and try to think. I point my fingers towards the candles that sit on my dresser, shooting two shots out the tips. They both hit the wicks of both candles as they light up the room. I need to get some air. I walk over to my balcony door and open them. The cool wind chill hits me in the face.

I walk out and lean over the side of the rail. The back yard is covered all with snow, even the tree where mother and I used to sit and feed the the turtle ducks. Everything is just white. Mother loved the winter almost as much as she loved the spring. My mother was the light of my life, to everybody's life. She lite up everyone she met. So full of life.

My mouth is extremely dry, I need something to drink. I walk back inside and shut the door. I take my shirt off and slip on a pair of shorts over my boxers and walk out of my room towards the stairs. The door knob shakes as I walk past; I hear a key pass through the lock. The door comes swinging open. _Azula…_

"Zu-zu! I'm glad your home!" Azula comes through the door and slings an arm over my shoulder, putting all her weight on me.

"Azula. Get. off. of me." I push her off and she falls on the floor.

"Zu-zu. That's not very nice." She stumbles getting up, telling me that she has had way too much to drink. "You're such a good, loving brother."

I roll my eyes and go to the kitchen, Azula was really the last thing I cared about right now.I walked over to the fridge and got myself a bottle of water out of the bottom drawer. And what do you know, I hear footprints following me right into the either be my father of Azula. I was still halfway asleep anyways, so I really didn't care.

"Zuko. What are you doing up so late?" My father walked up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. This was odd. I slide to the right of him and close the door, turning on the kitchen light.

"Couldn't sleep." I say, holding up the bottle. "I went to see Uncle Iroh today."

"What have I told you about going to talk to him? He is a crazy old man and has no business with my son. I will not be allowing him to feed thoughts into your mind about me. Now that we are on the subject, what has that nut case said about me?"

"Nothing too important." I step back away from him.

"You don't want another scar to match do you, my son?" My heart drops; Here it comes. I back up.

"No sir." I glup.

"Then you tell me that he had to say. If anything I'll go down there myself and finish him."

"He was just telling me how good of a father you are to the two of us." I lied. Uncle would never be so kind to someone like my father. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. Goodnight Father." I turn and walk back up towards the stairs. I could feel his eyes on me.

I try to ignore it and walk up the stairs. "Ohhh, Zu-zu!" Oh my god. Can I please just go to bed? Please.

"What do you want, Azula?"

"Oh, I just wanted to let you know that I know what you did today."

"Yeah, So what?"

"You were very late coming home."

"You were home later than what I was." I spat. I walk upstairs and leave her standing there, wobbling. I kinda hope that she falls down the stairs when she tries to go to bed. The candles are still lit, so I blow them out and laying back down in bed. Hopefully I'll be able to get to sleep after today.

The sun shined through my curtains, bringing a dim light into the room. I roll over to one side and sling my feet over the side of my bed. Today would be rough. But it would be okay.

I walk over to my dresser, figuring it would be quite chilly today, I pull out a long john shirt and a pair of jeans. I grabbed my keys and walked down the steps towards the kitchen. Azula sits at the bar with a glass of orange juice. "You could look a lot better." I say, going to the fridge. She had on the same outfit from last night, dried puke or slobber on her collar.

"For your information, I think I look great. My opinion is the only one that matters to me!" She poked her finger into my chest.

"Just make sure you clean up before you go outside so you don't scar the little ones for the rest of their lives." I circle her face with my finger.

"Your one to talk about scars." She scoffs. I choose to ignore it and walk out the front door. I walk over to my car and push the unlock button on the keyfob. The ice has built up overnight on my doors, making it difficult to open. Freezing my fingers in the process, I open the door and jump in, getting out of the wind chill. I start the car and wait for it to warm up enough to get out of the drive with my heat on.

I put the car in drive and push my way out of the snow. The highway is all cleaned off this morning and I head to the hospital. I stop by the flower shop on my way up to her room and get a dozen of fire lilies. I take the elevator up and my heart completely does backflips.

I knock on her door, before peeking in. "Come in." I hear her sweet voice, come from inside. I walk in, with a big smile and the flowers in hand.

Her face lit up and her smile grew. "Zuko!" She tried her best to get up, but I ran over to help her back down.

"We don't want you to hurt yourself more than what you already are." I wink at her. "I, uh, brought these for you." I hold out the flowers.

"How thoughtful. Thank you. This means a lot." I sticks them up to her face to sniff them. "And they smell wonderful."

"Good." I smile and sit down in the chair closest to her bed. "Where is everyone else?"

"I get to go home today. So Sokka and Dad went to get everything set up at home for me. Sokka said you would be taking me home if that was okay." How could I say no? I check my phone and see a message from Sokka.

" _Could you bring Katara home today around noon?"_ I read.

" _Sure thing."_ I send it and look at her. "I don't mind at all." I smile. It's 11:30AM. We still have a few minutes.

I loved the sound of her voice. She reminded me so much of my kind, so sweet. I could listen to her sweet voice all night long. We talked about everything under the moon. From her favorite color to her favorite type of fish.

Twelve o'clock came too quick and we got ready to go back to her house.

 **Alright you guys. It's not too much. I was having extreme writer's block working on this chapter, but I'm happy I got it done. Next chapter, coming soon! Thanks everyone! Don't forget to review!**


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